Conventionally, there has been proposed a game system which is operable to conduct a game by using an information card, instead of a paper type method, on gaming machines. Each of the gaming machines which this game system has includes: a bill validator which identifies bills whose currency kinds are different from one another and a money amount of said bill or bills and outputs data indicating a result of the identification; a player tracking device which converts the data outputted from the bill validator to credit data for executing a game based on an exchange rate internally stored and transmits the credit data to a gaming machine; a control device to which an exchange rate is inputted externally and which updates an exchange rate stored in the player tracking device by providing the inputted exchange rate for the player tracking device; and an information card device which causes the information card to store data corresponding to a money amount awarded to a player in accordance with an outcome of the game played on the gaming machine and based on the data corresponding to the money amount read out from the information card, transmits credit data for executing a game (refer to U.S. Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0135799).
Here, the above-described player tracking device is mounted so as to be integrated into each of the gaming machines and is a device for realizing a player tracking system (PTS). The player tracking system is a system which causes an IC card to store identification information unique to a player (a user who plays a game on a gaming machine) and allows a player to carry this IC card with him or her as an IC card unique to said player and to use this IC card, thereby enabling a player to be identified and managed on a terminal to which this IC card is inserted. In other words, when a player inserts the IC card (user card) into the player tracking device, information such as a balance in an account of said player is displayed on a display device or the like of the player tracking device, a game is executed on a gaming machine based on credit data managed by the IC card, and a credit obtained as an outcome of the game is added for the player identified by said IC card.
In addition, there also has been proposed a player tracking device which is configured to form a unit integrated to have a microphone function, a camera function, a speaker function, a display function, and the like (refer to U.S. Pat. No. 8,777,734). Specifically, the player tracking device has an LCD, a human body detection camera, a microphone, a bass reflex type speaker, and the like. The microphone is used to allow a player to participate in a game by voice and to authenticate a player through voice recognition.
On the other hand, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2012-022657, it is disclosed that by employing a winner betting ticket system in a publicly operated competition of a race such as a bike race, a horse race, a motorboat race, and a motorcycle race, after finishing the competition, an amount of donation money is calculated in a method which the amount thereof is set from refund money of a winning ticket.
In addition, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2005-230348, it is disclosed that in a system which allows a user as a player to enjoy a game in the same procedure as in a real Pachinko-slot game through Internet connection, a point exchange device for exchanging points, which the user has obtained in the game, to other value is configured to be operable to exchange fraction points, which are less than predetermined points, to other value to be donated to a predetermined destination.
The user card is inserted into the player tracking device as in the U.S. Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0135799 as well as the U.S. Pat. No. 8,777,734, whereby a game is executed on a gaming machine by the credit data associated with said user card. Since the credit obtained as an outcome of the game can be added to a value of an account of the user (player), the user can easily enjoy the game without cumbersome taking-in-and-out of cash or the like. However, in a situation where a balance of the user card is decreased, thereby making it impossible to execute even one game, it is often the case that the user leaves the user card unremoved from the player tracking device and leaves the seat.
As described above, when the user card is kept being inserted into the player tracking device, since the user is likely to return in a short period of time, that gaming machine is recognized to be still in use, and a new user cannot use said gaming machine, thereby resulting in a significant problem in that the overall operating rate is reduced.
In addition, based on an operation history and a detection result obtained by a human body detection camera, the player tracking system or the like also can automatically determine that said gaming machine is in an idle state (unused). For such determination, however, a certain period of time is required in order to confirm that the user does not return. Also in this case, the reduction in the overall operating rate cannot be avoided.